Question

Constructing an Argument: In modern American society, the legalization of marijuana continues to be controversial and hotly debated. Some people find it contradictory that certain "drugs"—such as tobacco and alcohol—are legalized even though they pose proven health risks, while marijuana, which has many medicinal applications, continues to be illegal by the federal government. What reasons do you think the federal government gives for outlawing marijuana, and do the reasons support the conclusion?

Answer 1

The government forbids marihuana essentially for two reasons:

• It believes that marihuana is a harmful drug, that can lead to addiction, and worse, can lead to the use of even harder drugs like cocaine or heroine.
• It cannot be fully convinced by advocates for legalization (unconvincing advocay). Besides, many people are prejudiced against marihuana, and opposing legalization results in political popularity.

The arguments above, while not fully invalid, are not strong enough to continue the support of marihuana ilegalization. While marihuana can be harmful, and addictive, it is not much more harmful than other legal drugs such as alcohol or tobacco. Besides, it does have many medicinal uses, and finally, several states have decided to legalize marihuana and the experience has been largely positive (for example, Colorado).